More than half of Vybz Kartel’s recent streams came from listeners who don’t pay for a subscription.
According to updated Luminate data obtained by Kaboom Magazine, 588.6 million of the 1.06 billion streams he logged in the latest reporting period were ad supported. That’s about 55 percent, with 479.5 million premium streams making up the other 45.
That split sits inside a much bigger number. The Worl’ Boss has now passed 7 billion career streams, along with 3.8 billion stream equivalents and around 1.4 million digital song sales across his catalogue.
For the reporting period alone, Kartel pulled in 597.1 million stream equivalents and roughly 29,000 digital song sales.
The sales look small next to the streams, which is true for most artists now. They still show a core of fans buying tracks outright.
The platform breakdown tells its own story. His official YouTube channel has passed 2.6 billion views, while Spotify accounts for more than 1.5 billion streams. That gap suggests video is still the main way a lot of fans engage with his music.
The ad supported tilt can be read in two ways. One view is that Kartel’s reach runs deep into free tiers and into markets where paid subscriptions are less common, which points to how wide his audience is.
The other is that premium plays usually pay artists more, so the big headline count doesn’t translate neatly into revenue.
The timing matters too. Kartel, born Adidja Palmer, walked out of prison in July 2024 after the UK Privy Council quashed his murder conviction and Jamaica’s Court of Appeal declined to order a retrial. That ended more than a decade behind bars.
He kept releasing music throughout that stretch. These totals reflect both that steady output and the wave of attention that followed his return.
Next up is The Sun, his second album of 2026, set for December 18. The tracklist includes “Live It Up” with Pablo YG and “I Don’t Wanna Go” with Jafrass. The previously released single “Zelle,” featuring Fixavelli, also makes the cut.
Those features keep Kartel plugged into the wider dancehall scene rather than coasting on his catalogue. On paper, the guest list gives the project a mix of voices around him instead of a solo victory lap.
He isn’t stopping there either. Kartel has hinted at more projects on the way, including a deluxe edition of his God & Time album that is expected to bring in more high profile collaborators.
No names have been confirmed for that deluxe yet. With The Sun landing first, fans are already guessing who gets the call.
